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Costa Rica has been relatively well explored for
species of Lepanthes (see the interesting introductory
accounts by Luer 1987, 1995). More than 90 species
are known already for the country (Pupulin 2002,
Luer, in press); however, new species based on both
new and old collections are continously being
described (e.g. Pupulin 2001). In the present paper,
yet another species is described as new to science.
Floral and vegetative terminology follows Luer
(1996).
Lepanthes gerardensis M.A. Blanco, sp. nova
TYPE: CO S T A RI C A. Puntarenas: Monteverde, Valle
de San Gerardo, entre Santa Elena y Arenal, vertiente
atlántica, ca. 10°23'00"N, 84°47'50"W, 1000 m, 23
enero 1999, M. Blanco & V. Arias 924 ( h o l o t y p e ,
USJ). FIG. 1
Lepanthi ancylopetalae Dressler primo aspecto
similis, sed habito minore, foliis petiolatis, late ellipti-
cis, labello relative magno, bilaminato, cum laminis
glabris, deltoideis, una contra alteram dispositis dif-
fert.
Plant a caespitose epiphytic herb. Roots up to 5 cm
long, 0.5 mm thick, terete. Ramicauls erect, terete, 1-
10 mm long, 0.3 mm thick, clasped by 1-4 cataphylls,
with a single terminal leaf. Cataphylls 1-4 mm long,
pale brown (dry at maturity), lepanthiform, glabrous
to minutely ridged, acute apically; ostia oblique and
expanded (up to 1 mm in diameter). Leaves petiolate,
thick, green with purple dots on the abaxial surface.
Petiole 1-3 mm long, 0.3 mm thick. Blade condupli-
cate, widely elliptic when spread, 7-9 mm long, 5-6
mm wide, about 1 mm thick, cuneate basally, obtuse
apically, mucronate, with 7 longitudinal veins, mar-
gin entire. I n f l o r e s c e n c e terminal on the ramicaul, a
pedunculate raceme; peduncle terete, 4 mm long, 0.1
mm thick; the raceme up to 3 mm long, distichous,
sequentially flowered (up to at least 15 flowers pro-
duced). Flower bracts triangular, 0.5 mm long.
Flowers showy, large for the plant, resupinate; sepals
pale greenish yellow, petals yellow with upper lobe
and inner margin of lower lobe red, lip and column
dark red, anther and appendix white. Dorsal sepal
ovate-lanceolate, acute, 3-veined, 3.0 mm long, 1.5
mm wide, glabrous, margin entire. Lateral sepals
obliquely lanceolate, 2-veined, connate for half their
length, acute, each 2.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide,
glabrous, margin entire. P e t a l s two-lobed, with a
minute median apicule, minutely papillose, 1.5 mm
wide, 0.6 mm long; the upper lobe oblong, rounded
apically, the base expanded, 1 mm long; lower lobe
subtriangular, rounded, 0.4 mm long; glabrous, mar-
gin entire. L i p bilaminate, surrounding the column;
LANKESTERIANA 8: 19-22. 2003.
LEPANTHES GERARDENSIS(ORCHIDACEAE),
A NEW SPECIES FROM COSTA RICA
MARIO A. BLANCO
University of Florida, Department of Botany, 220 Bartram Hall,Gainesville, Florida 32611-8526, U.S.A.
Research Associate, Jardín Botánico Lankester, Universidad de Costa Rica
and Instituto Centroamericano de Investigación Biológica y Conservación, Costa Rica
mblanco@flmnh.ufl.edu
ABSTRACT.Lepanthes gerardensis from north-central Costa Rica is described and illustrated. It is most simi-
lar to the Mexican L. ancylopetala Dressler, from which it differs in shorter habit, petiolate leaves with
broadly elliptic blades, and different lip shape. It appears to be a specialized twig-epiphyte.
RESUMEN. Se describe e ilustra Lepanthes gerardensis, de la parte central norte de Costa Rica. Es semejante
aL. ancylopetala Dressler de México, de la cual difiere en el hábito menor, hojas pecioladas con láminas
anchamente elípticas y forma del labelo diferente. Parece ser una epífita de ramitas, especializada en ramas
terminales delgadas.
PALABRAS CLAVE / KEY WORDS: Orchidaceae, Lepanthes, twig-epiphytism, Costa Rica.
LANKESTERIANA
Figure 1. Lepanthes gerardensis M.A. Blanco. A – Habit. B – Flower. C – Dissected perianth. D – Lip and column,
lateral view. ILLUSTRACTION VOUCHER: Blanco & Arias 924 (USJ).
20 Nº 8
blades rounded-deltoid, with the angles directed
inwards, minutely papillate, each 1 mm long, 0.5 mm
wide, margin entire; appendix digitiform, pointing
toward stigma, minutely ciliate, 0.2 mm long.
C o l u m n clavate, slightly curving downward, fused
with the lip at its base, 1 mm long, anther terminal,
0.2 mm long; stigma ventral, partially bilobed.
Pollinarium not seen. Fruit not seen.
Lepanthes gerardensis can be recognized by its
short habit (less than 2 cm tall), widely elliptic leaves,
relatively large flowers, and petals with a small lower
lobe and red upper lobe. Otherwise, the flower mor-
phology is typical of most species in the genus.
Its flowers are most similar to those of the Mexican
L. ancylopetala Dressler, but that species has a con-
cave dorsal sepal and a smaller lip with pilose blades;
furthermore, plants of L. ancylopetala are taller (up to
6 cm tall) with narrowly elliptic leaves (figure 8 in
Salazar-Chávez & Soto-Arenas 1996). Vegetatively,
L. gerardensis resembles L. papillipetala D r e s s l e r ,
also from Mexico (figure 54 in Salazar-Chávez &
Soto-Arenas 1996).
Behar & Tinschert (1998: 96) present a color pho-
tograph of a Guatemalan L e p a n t h e s identified as L .
papillipetala (the same flower and the whole plant are
also illustrated in Balistrieri 1998: 53); this is consis-
tent with Luer’s interpretation of L. papillipetala (C.
Luer, pers. commun. 2003). However, it is different
from the interpretation of L. papillipetala in Salazar-
Chávez & Soto-Arenas’s (1996) revision of the
Mexican species of L e p a n t h e s; it is more similar to
their illustration of L. ancylopetala, and even more
similar to L. gerardensis, at least in floral shape and
color. Because Salazar and Soto not only studied the
types of both species, but also studied populations of
the type locality in Chiapas (the same for both L .
ancylopetala and L. papillipetala), I choose to follow
their taxonomic interpretations.
Among its Costa Rican congeners, Lepanthes ger -
ardensis resembles L. excedens Ames & Correll (= L.
empis Luer) in plant size and leaf shape. The flowers
are superficially similar, but the petals of the latter
species are crescentiform, with angular upper and
lower lobes, and the lip has narrow (non-peltate)
strongly arching blades continuous with the connec-
tives, as well as a stouter appendix.
ET Y M O L O G Y. Named after the San Gerardo Valley
near Monteverde, where the species was found.
EC O L O G Y: Apparently endemic to the Caribbean
slopes of the Tilarán Cordillera of Costa Rica, in
cloud forest at around 1000 m elevation.
Many plants were found growing on guava trees
(Psidium guajava, Myrtaceae) in a pasture adjacent to
primary forest. It appears to be a specialized twig epi-
phyte; the many plants observed were restricted to
terminal branches of 1 cm or less in diameter, almost
devoid of mosses or liverworts. Other well-known
twig epiphytes such as Erycina (Psygmorchis)pusil -
la, Epidendrum vincentinum, and Hybochilus incon -
spicuus also occurred on the same twigs.
Flowering occurs at least in January in the field,
and possibly throughout the year. Several plants
brought to Lankester Botanical Garden survived for
about two years, flowering constantly under more or
less uniform humidity conditions.
AC K N O W L E D G M E N T S: I am grateful to Jorge Gómez-
Laurito (USJ) for the Latin diagnosis and Vernon Arias for
companionship in the field. Suggestions by Carlyle Luer
and Alec Pridgeon greatly improved the manuscript.
LITERATURE CITED
Balistrieri, C. A. 1998. L e p a n t h e s. Orch. Dig. 62(2): 52-
65.
Behar, M. 1999. Die Gattung L e p a n t h e s Sw. Orchidee
(Hamburg) 50(4): 37-42.
Behar, M. & O. Tinschert. 1998. Guatemala y sus
orquídeas/Guatemala and its orchids. Tipos Graficart,
Guatemala.
Luer, C. A. 1987. New Lepanthes species from Costa Rica
and Panama. Lindleyana 2: 185-217.
Luer, C. A. 1995. New species of Lepanthes (Orchidaceae)
from Costa Rica. Lindleyana 10: 133-173.
Luer, C. A. 1996. Icones Pleurothallidinarum XIV.
Systematics of D r a c o n a n t h e s, L e p a n t h e s s u b g e n u s
M a r s i p a n t h e s, and subgenus L e p a n t h e s of Ecuador
(Orchidaceae). Part Three: The genus L e p a n t h e s i n
Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 61: 1-
255.
Luer, C. A. In press. Lepanthes Sw. In R. L. Dressler (ed.).
Orchidaceae. I n: B. E. Hammel, N. Zamora & M. H.
Grayum (eds.). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica. Vol.
3. Missouri Bot. Gard. Press, St. Louis.
BLANCO - Lepanthes gerardensis 21
Octubre 2003
Pupulin, F. 2001. New taxa in Costa Rican L e p a n t h e s
(Orchidaceae). Harvard Pap. Bot. 6: 289-294.
Pupulin, F. 2002. Catálogo revisado y anotado de las
Orchidaceae de Costa Rica. Lankesteriana 5: 1-88.
Salazar-Chávez, G. A. & M. A. Soto-Arenas. 1996. El
género Lepanthes Sw. en México. Orquídea (Méx.) 14:
1-231.
LANKESTERIANA
22 Nº 8
